


Loyalty

by Fairandwise



Category: Lost in Space (TV 2018)
Genre: Don't Like Don't Read, F/F, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Mention of Molestation, Non-Consensual Touching, Past Rape/Non-con, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, You Have Been Warned, mention of underage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:21:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22695466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fairandwise/pseuds/Fairandwise
Summary: To keep a secret, Dr. Smith asks so little.
Relationships: Maureen Robinson/Dr. Smith | June Harris
Comments: 5
Kudos: 28





	1. Day 1

**Author's Note:**

> Forgive me. This happened in my head. Had to spill out somewhere. If you don't want to read something dark and fucked up, please feel free to see yourself out.
> 
> In my mind, this happens in the time that the residents of the Resolute are half on the desert planet while it's being repaired. Let's pretend it went on a bit longer than it did, and so there was space for this.

**Day 1**

-

"I know what you did to her, you know." Smith's gaze was leveled, voice even, though a hint of her signature smugness peeked through the spaces between her words. What else was new? Her tone wasn't challenging, but rather matter-of-fact. Maureen swiveled in her chair, frowning at the uninvited guest in her quarters. 

"Excuse me?"

Sauntering further into the room, Smith laughed derisively. "Don't pretend you don't know exactly what I'm talking about." 

With narrowing eyes, Maureen shook her head. "I have no -idea- what you're talking about, and I'm already tired of you. If you don't need anything important, get out."

Far from getting out, Smith instead ended her saunter at Maureen's bed and dropped herself onto it with a plop. Hands out to either side to support her, Smith leaned back a bit and raised a brow at Maureen. "Oh, I think you'll find this is very important." Her lips twisted in a smirk. "You don't want me to leave." 

Maureen gave the bridge of her nose a pinch with closed eyes and then crossed her arms, slouching back into her chair. "Fine. Make it quick. What do you want?"

"You'll want to close the door, Maureen." Smith's eyes flicked to the door controls and back to Maureen, the indication clear. 

"You'll be leaving soon", Maureen answered, her tone hard. 

"I know what you did to her", repeated the woman on the bed. This time, it made Maureen pause. Smith grinned, seeing the moment that uncertainty began to grip the scientist opposite her. "Penny told me all about it." Wordlessly, Maureen took the few steps to the door and shut it, then locked it. 

Still facing the door, Maureen responded in a low voice, "You don't know what you're talking about it." 

"Oh, yes, I certainly do. And clearly you do as well." Maureen's breath was coming in short bursts, she was fighting hyperventilation. She still wasn't facing Smith, and now she couldn't. Frozen in place, images flashed in her mind. Events. Regrettable events. "I know what it looks like, Maureen", Smith continued, "the expressions you both wear. A daughter craving approval and looking just a little bit haunted, a mother who gets a little too close and wears her heart on her sleeve. An easy story to read for anyone who knows the language."

Just slightly turning, enough to see Smith looking at her steadily, Maureen couldn't speak louder than a whisper, "What do you want?" She wanted to ask what the woman had been told, what Penny said exactly. The Event..Events. Not her finest moments, and yet she couldn't help but want more. It was that part that tore at her most. 

"Just to bond. To be a part of the family. Everyone needs a support system." Smith's words were almost friendly, but her tone was far from it. It spoke of hunger and aggression. Fear and greed. 

Hands fisting at her sides, Maureen had yet to move. Like a vice, terror had her. Smith's gaze was like a monster under the bed. She knew the woman wanted nothing good, but who could know exactly what that might be? 

"Look at me, Maureen." Smith's voice was closer, when had she gotten up? Maureen's head twitched ever so slightly in her direction. It wasn't good enough. "Look at me." The woman spoke more firmly, standing within arm's reach of Maureen. 

The scientist turned her head but not her body, staring at a point on Smith's cheek just below her eye. A hand came up to stroke her cheek. Maureen flinched away. The hand was still there however, cupping her face now. "I don't want much, Maureen. Just loyalty." 

Maureen was still as Smith's hand shifted to grip her chin gently. Her face was turned from side to side. "Beautiful." Smith breathed the word out like an afterthought. "No wonder Penny loved it so much." Shock streaked through Maureen's body, her eyes snapped to the other woman's. Triumph glowed in Smith's expression, her eyes like burning ice. "That's better. I appreciate eye contact on occasion. In situations like this." Maureen opened her mouth to ask some sort of question she had yet to decide, but she was interrupted by Smith's lips on her own. 

Aggressive and demanding, Smith plundered Maureen's mouth. A very long split second passed before Maureen bit down on the invading tongue, causing Smith to yelp, and pulled away spluttering. Her back hit the door as she let out a loud, "What the fuck!?" Wiping her mouth with an arm, she wasn't prepared when Smith slapped her across the face with an open palm.

Immediately, Smith looked surprised at herself, but this was followed by a settling of her expression. Something shifted and Maureen shivered as she latched onto the anger and shock to keep her from freezing again in the presence of the suddenly frighteningly calm woman. 

"That wasn't very nice, Maureen." The scientist shuddered at the tone, fear working to assert itself once more. "I wasn't hurting you, was I? And then you made me." Like a beleaguered parent, Smith sighed. "I don't like hurting people, Maureen. But I will do it. I will do what I have to do to protect myself. Wouldn't anyone?" She was in front of Maureen again, the scientist breathing heavily in her efforts not to lash out at her attacker. Her tormenter. The woman who could bring her life tumbling down around her ears. She crumpled inwardly, and Smith saw it. She saw again the moment something in the other woman changed. The still expression on her face nonetheless betrayed her victory as she pressed closer to Maureen. 

With nowhere to go with the door at her back, Maureen was trapped in place when Smith pressed the fronts of their bodies together. "I ask so little, Maureen. I only want what Penny already has. A place in this family." Maureen didn't fight this time when Smith initiated the kiss, but neither did she reciprocate. The fact was clearly irritating to the other woman, who let out a frustrated noise. "Somehow I feel like it's strange that you were more enthusiastic about sleeping with your daughter than with an age-appropriate non-blood relation." 

Maureen's face erupted in a blaze, Smith privately thought it complimented her hair. Finally, when Smith tried yet again to draw a reaction, it worked. Maureen responded to the kiss, albeit hesitantly. Several long moments dragged out as Smith claimed the other woman, taking what she wanted from the moment she first noticed the strange looks that passed between mother and daughter. 

Of course, Penny hadn't said a thing. Not anything directly, in any case. But Smith was a clever woman, and she knew how to read people. Quite accurately, in the majority of cases, and it was paying off in spades. How long could she keep this up, and keep Maureen under her thumb? Who knew? But she was going to take as much from this situation as she could, for there was absolutely no going back.

When Smith pulled back Maureen's eyes were closed and her breath was short in a different way. The redhead opened her eyes to find a smirking Smith and her face stayed red. She would never admit it but, despite the awful feeling of violation and the terror of being discovered, it was at least an above average kiss. She'd not kissed a woman since college, and it seemed it still did the same to her now as it had then. 

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Smith didn't expect a response and she didn't get one. She turned to the rest of the room, surveying it silently before coming to a decision. "Go to your desk, would you?" She watched Maureen hesitate before simply walking to the desk, accepting her fate. For the moment. Smith wasn't a fool and she did not doubt that Maureen would take advantage of any opportunity she had to escape her predicament.

Maureen was avoiding looking at Smith again, and the other woman wasn't a fan of the behavior. She wanted to see on the other woman's wonderfully expressive face just what she was thinking. 

"First rule", said Smith, "you don't get to avoid looking at me." She paused a moment to watch the expression of confusion and borderline pain cross Maureen's face, then waited another to see if the woman would comply. When she didn't, Smith repeated herself. Maureen obeyed this time, looking up at Smith's face with an expression of hatred mingled with fear. "Good. Now sit down," Smith said, adding, "on the floor", when the redhead went for her chair. 

Smith took the chair that she had refused Maureen and sat herself behind the woman, running her fingers through ginger locks. Maureen was still, confused. She hadn't imagined Smith being any sort of tender when the blackmail had begun. "What are you doing?", she asked, breaking her silence. 

"Braiding your hair", Smith answered. "It looks nice like that." The next few minutes passed quietly. Maureen felt as if she was holding her breath, though she was breathing steadily, waiting for something awful to happen. "There." Smith was done and Maureen reached a hand to feel the braid, only to get it pushed away. "Don't touch." Arguments died in Maureen's throat as a hand wrapped around it and slid up, tilting her head back until she was looking at Smith upside down. The woman planted a soft kiss onto Maureen's lips that left them tingling unpleasantly. "Very nice."

Smith stood abruptly, releasing Maureen. "I'll be back tomorrow, same time. Be alone. Keep your hair like that until then." She walked to the door and let herself out, leaving the redhead confused and alone.


	2. Day 2

Day 2

Maureen waited, fingers of one hand tapping rhythmically against the table surface as she stared blankly at her computer screen. The clock didn't tick, but she watched the minute change on the digital display. Her own breath disturbed the hair fluttering around her face. She'd not touched the braid since the day before, obeying Smith's command. 

As if she had a choice.

The code on her laptop screen could have been ancient greek for all she could make heads or tails of it, her mind on something entirely different. 

Her lips still tingled where Smith had kissed her, it was suffocating. 

"I really like your hair like that." Maureen jerked around at the voice, both expected and unexpected. Smith was already entering and closing the door behind her, engaging the lock. 

"Messy?", retorted Maureen. Smith snorted. 

"Yes, that too." Pacing in a semi-circle around the redhead, Smith looked thoughtful. Maureen didn't take her eyes off of her. "You need a shower, I'm guessing." 

"Took one." Maureen had done her best to wash herself without wetting her hair, wanting to give Smith no reason to take any small offense and ruin her. 

"Didn't wash your hair", Smith remarked. "You should." 

"I'm fine." The scientist wasn't stupid, and she hardly wanted to be helpless in a shower with Smith and her locked in the room.

"That wasn't a question. You need a shower." She approached the scientist, twisting a smile as she lifted a hand to remove the hair tie keeping the braid in place and finding that Maureen did not pull away immediately. Fingers combed through wavy hair and loosened it from the braid gently. Then, seating herself on the bed as she had the day before, Smith raised a brow at Maureen. "Go." The redhead was frustrated, feeling played with. She'd expected a bit more of average blackmail fare. Hell, she would've expected yesterday to be something different after the horrible revelation of Smith's forbidden knowledge, but it was just odd. "I'll wait here until you're done", promised Smith with an approximation of an innocent smile and a hand lifted in a mockery of a scout salute.

"Fine." Maureen didn't feel like arguing yet, waiting a bit to find out Smith's game was a very possible task. A horribly frustrating one that probably required more patience than she'd ever needed before, but still. It wasn't completely impossible. The only comforting thought Maureen could summon as she locked the tiny bathroom door was that Smith still clearly wanted something from her, or else she would've talked right away. If she could keep the woman wanting something until she figured a way out of this, she would make it through.

It felt good to wash her hair, knowing that the door was locked just in case Smith didn't keep her word. Maureen kept it quick though, wanting to get on with whatever Smith was planning so she could continue her day. She was still in a towel, having just stepped out of the shower, when the knock came at the bathroom door, followed by Smith's voice. "Don't dry your hair." Maureen's face crumpled in further confusion. "Why not?", she asked. There was no answer. 

When she had dressed herself in the night clothes she (thankfully) kept in the bathroom, Maureen left the bathroom, her hair twisted up in a towel to keep it from dripping everywhere. Smith was sitting at her desk and scrolling idly through the pictures on her laptop. 

"You have a lot of good ones here of the family." Smith looked up to her with a smile that felt too cocky to be very kind. "Bring me the hair dryer and your brush and have a seat." 

Maybe Smith wanted to be a hairdresser in another life, but blackmailing Maureen to get to her hair had to be the weirdest plan the scientist had ever heard. She did as she was told, trying not to think about it too much. 

As her hair was dried and brushed and subsequently braided once more, Maureen felt the tension from yesterday return to battle with the soothing sensation of having her hair done. It wasn't a combination of feelings that she enjoyed. 

"What is your end goal here?" Maureen asked, only half expecting an answer. For a second it didn't seem like there would be one, but then Smith answered, "I think I'm going to leave that up to you."

Maureen couldn't have been more confused and surprised if a unicorn had flown out of her ass at that very moment. "What?"

"Let's be clear, I'm not planning to hurt you", Smith began, adding, "unless you make me." She finished with Maureen's braid and stood, stepping around the sitting woman and offering her hand to help her up. Maureen took it and continued looking utterly confused. "I am going to do what I want, and you're going to do what I want. That's really all there is to say about that. But," she paused, taking a long moment to drag her gaze down Maureen's form and then back up to her lips, "I will give you the occasional chance to say no. Or maybe even to get out of this completely." Smith's mouth curved in a secretive smile as she ended with, "If you want to." She lead Maureen towards the bed, sitting down and pulling the redhead with her. 

The one thing Maureen latched onto was the idea that she might have the chance to be done, to be free, to not worry about Smith holding this over her head forever. It was fairly unbelievable coming from the absolute liar of a woman, but there was hope tugging at the corners of Maureen's mind. A chance. 

"Of course", Smith said then, "I won't forgive any slip-ups. They might be followed by one or two of my own. It's crazy just how quickly gossip can fly even on a ship this size." The threat was clear. Maureen swallowed thickly as Smith went on, "I am going to need your verbal agreement on this. From that point on, you are to be loyal to me without question. That is what I expect. Am I making myself clear?" Her eyes were hard, hand squeezing Maureen's a bit harder than before.

Maureen's mouth opened, but nothing came out. She licked her lips and tried again, squeaking out an okay. Smith's eyes glittered with pleasure.

"That's 'Yes, Dr. Smith', Maureen." 

Again, her mouth was almost too dry, but Maureen managed to grind out the words that Smith wanted to hear. Almost as soon as the words had forced themselves from her lips, Smith was on her, demanding lips and tongue and teeth traveling Maureen's jawline and moving down her neck. Surprise preceded anything less pleasant and the result was a barely audible moan escaping Maureen's throat without her consent. 

Smith heard and chose not to comment directly, deciding that -Maureen- knowing it had happened would suffice for the moment. However, there was something else that needed saying. "Rule two", Smith husked against Maureen's throat, "Don't you dare lie to me. Ever. About anything. I'll know." That might not be strictly true, but the woman did have a high rate of success in sniffing out a lie. 

Dampness reached Smith's senses when she pressed a cheek to Maureen's, her eyes opened to find the redhead's brimming with tears. "No, no..", she soothed, pressing kisses to the wet cheeks, "no need for any of that. I already said I'm not going to hurt you, and I meant it." Hands lifted to cup Maureen's face, Smith was kissing her again. This time she didn't need to prompt the scientist to respond, she did it on her own. It was a bit wet, a bit sloppy, but Smith enjoyed it all the same. Did she cry when she slept with Penny, she wondered. Maybe she would ask another day. 

Smith kissed her captive for awhile, taking her time and learning just what made Maureen respond the most. She'd always loved this part, the learning. Finding just what someone wants and needs and giving it to them over and over. Maureen was more responsive as time went on, seeming to choose surrender over continued quiet rebellion. A pleasant surprise, but Smith wasn't foolish enough to think she'd broken the woman with a few kisses. Maureen's hands had remained pressed flat against the bed, so Smith reached and grabbed both wrists to put those hands up on her waist where she straddled the woman's lap. Fingers dug in, indicating enjoyment, involvement. 

The woman on top could've positively -purred-, but she restrained herself. Another few moments of exploration followed and sliding of her own hands behind the redhead's neck to keep her in place. Then, nearly as abruptly as the day before, Smith was done. She pulled back, planted a kiss on the end of Maureen's nose and removed herself from the scientist's lap. "Get some sleep", Smith commanded with a smile. 

Maureen hated the sensation of Smith's presence in the room even after she'd exited, but she could do nothing against it. She breathed heavily, aroused from the kisses she'd recieved despite her hatred for their giver. She turned off the light quickly and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to shove out the thoughts and the -want- that fought for control. How stupid. And though it was more like what she expected, she was still left confused. But this was a game she understood a bit better now. Smith was trying to get her attached, make her want what was happening. Or so it seemed.

Fine. She could play along. She could pretend. She could act as if she was surrendering even as she was lulling Smith into a false sense of security. She could give herself over to an absolute lunatic if it meant protecting not only her own life and reputation, but that of her daughter. Maureen was a force of nature that should not be trifled with, and she would play along until she could make Smith regret the day she ever met the Robinsons.


	3. Day 9/10

Day 9

Dr. Smith's hands were far gentler than her threats. For this, at least, Maureen could be grateful. She could still feel them on her, though the woman had yet to return. A whole week. For one whole week, evening had brought anxiety and a sort of expectation that had not been fulfilled. In seven long days, Maureen had seen Smith only during three short passing moments in the cafeteria. 

That's not to say that Maureen missed the lunatic in any sense of the word, but the sensation of a jack in the box being wound up and left alone was leaving her lost for any focus. Repairing the Resolute was the priority here, and yet its designer couldn't focus for longer than a few minutes at a time with the thought of sudden encounters dancing through her mind. 

What would Smith do next? Another hairdo? Another assault of her body that left Maureen feeling like she was in high school and her partner wasn't sure what to do next? It was baffling and distracting and not at all what Maureen needed. Her plan to wait out the other woman was clearly harder than she had predicted it might be and it was driving her mad. 

Maureen wouldn't seek her out however, for that would defeat the purpose. Sure, she wanted to lull Smith into thinking she'd surrendered, but no one would ever believe the redhead would give in so early. Going to Smith of her own accord would be all but admitting the ruse before it had truly begun.

On the other side of the situation, Smith was developing her own plans. For the past week she'd left Maureen in a veritable limbo, but that wasn't the whole goal. In that time, she'd been pursuing something else. Someone else. Someone who might give her just that tiniest amount of leverage she needed to be sure Maureen would be kept at heel for as long as possible.

The sound of her office door sliding open brought a smile to Smith's face as she looked up, finding her target peeking in with hesitation. 

"Penny, how good to see you. Please, come in." Distrust was painted all over the teen's face, but she stepped in. To Smith's irritation, she lingered there just beyond the doorway. Ah well, that would change. "We need to talk."

"I've got nothing to say to you." Smith shrugged at the tone and responded, "Indulge me." She gestured to the door. "And would you close that please?" Penny's arms crossed as she nonverbally refused and Smith sighed. Like mother, like daughter. "I know what you and your mother did." 

Penny's face, so like her mother's, contorted in a rapid fire progression of emotion. Confusion to shock, realization to pure humiliation and terror. It was positively delicious to witness as she turned and closed the door. Unlike her mother though, she turned back to face Smith and walked closer to her desk to whisper in nothing less than a horrified tone, "How do you know about that?" Not even an attempt to lie or pretend she didn't know. Smith delighted in the ease with which she was going to manipulate the situation. This side of it, anyway.

Leaning in closer in a conspiratorial manner, Smith responded in a similar whisper, "She told me all about it." If possible, Penny looked even more horrified. 

"She -told- you? But I thought-", Penny cut herself off, shaking her head and turning away. "That's not possible. She wouldn't have-.. She couldn't. I don't-" She started and ended sentences before finishing them, providing quite the show. Smith settled down into her chair and spoke over the frantic teen, "She thought you might benefit from talking to me, if we're being honest." This brought Penny back with an incredulous expression, "You?" Smith spread her hands as if she were herself confused. 

"Who else knows more about secrets around here?" Penny was unconvinced, if her expression was anything to go by, but she also looked to be doubting herself. Smith's favourite sort of person was a doubtful one. "Come on. She's already told me. What will it hurt to talk a bit?" A gesture towards one of the chairs in front of Smith's desk was followed by Penny taking the suggestion and seating herself. She wouldn't meet Smith's eye, staring at a point in the middle of the desk as if it might rescue her somehow. 

"Why would she tell you?" Penny asked the question in such a small voice that Smith almost missed it. The fake doctor waved a hand to dismiss it, answering, "This isn't about her right now, Penny. I'm much more interested in hearing what you remember. What you think and feel about it all." The teen wouldn't look up, fingers fidgeting. 

"I don't really want to talk about it", she said finally, again in that same small voice. Smith smelled weakness though, some part of the girl would crack. She was sure of it. 

"Your mother seemed to think it was a good idea. Enough that she even did the same." Smith lifted her hands in a shrug and leaned back into her chair. "I don't know. I'm just here to listen." Penny's breath left her with a shudder, and Smith could practically taste the victory. 

"I don't know where to start."

"Just start from the beginning."

-

Day 10

The fount of information that Penny turned out to be was more useful than Smith could have hoped. For not only had she uncovered some specific details that would surely keep Maureen quiet for the foreseeable future, but she'd made some other discoveries about the woman that she was sure would come in handy. And Penny, well, she was going to be quite the useful tool as well, of that Smith was certain. By the end of their conversation the day before, Smith had even managed to convince the girl to return to her the next time she needed to talk. Just delicious.

But now it was time to set that thought aside and move things forward with Maureen. After a full week and half of day of utter freedom, Maureen was sure to be expecting the next encounter around every corner. The thought of a jumpy Maureen was eternally amusing and Smith couldn't wait to see just how the woman would react to what she had planned today. 

"Hello there, Maureen." Smith got to witness the woman nearly jump from her chair, so absorbed in her thoughts was she. Maureen whirled to the door, cursing herself for not hearing Smith's approach. "Hard at work?" Smith gestured to the laptop Maureen had been seated before, smirking a bit at the sight of the screensaver that proved it had been a while since any work had been accomplished. 

"What do you want today?" Right down to business, Smith had expected that. Amusing nonetheless. The woman entered the room, engaging the lock on the door controls with one hand, eyes remaining on Maureen. Maureen swallowed, watching the other woman carefully. As much as she knew that Smith wouldn't let go of this so easily, there was the barest part of her that had hoped that the woman might find something or someone more interesting to mess with. 

"Nothing much. Just the same as always." Smith closed the distance between the two of them with a few steps, a hand lifting to twist a lock of Maureen's hair around her fingers. "Loyalty. Acceptance. All of that. I don't ask for much, Maureen." It was clear that keeping still was taking a lot of effort, and Smith enjoyed watching Maureen struggle. "I'd like you to take a seat on the bed for me." Smith pushed her in the right direction. "And take off your coat, please." While delivering the instruction, Smith was doing the same. The sleeveless top underneath left her arms bare, just like any other standard issue tank top the other denizens of the Resolute might wear. Maureen did as she was told, quietly sitting at the very edge of the bed. Smith approached and bent to grab Maureen's hips, ordering, "Farther back", before straddling the redhead's thighs comfortably. 

"This is nice", Smith said with a smile, resting her forearms on Maureen's bare shoulders. The retort came quickly, "That's not the word I would use." It made Smith laugh, a finger tapping the scientists nose. "That's not very friendly, Maureen. I would hate to think we aren't friendly with each other." The expectant expression held some hardness around the edges, prompting Maureen to apologize under her breath and look away. 

Smith grabbed Maureen's chin hard with one hand, voice going momentarily icy, "Rule one, Maureen. Where should your eyes be?" The scientist's gaze snapped back to Smith's instantly. Already she was forgetting that she was meant to be surrendering. But something about Smith just made her want to run and hide. It might be the secret she was holding, but it could very well be something about the woman herself as well. 

Searching her expression for further disobedience, Smith then released Maureen's chin with a satisfied curve of her lips. "Better." She traced the fingertips of both hands up the redhead's jawline with a sigh, letting them travel down her neck and over her exposed collarbones. "So beautiful." Looking back to Maureen's face proved the woman had kept rule one in mind, her eyes still fixed on Smith. "Feel free to touch me if you like, Maureen. I'm not opposed." 

Maureen's eyes glinted as if she wanted to say just how she'd like to -touch- Smith. The woman assumed it wouldn't be pleasant. Nice to see the fire remained. Maureen's hands stayed where they were, pressed to the bed. Smith shrugged. "Suit yourself. But we both know you've been waiting on bated breath for me to return." Sure, it wasn't for pleasant reasons, but it was the truth all the same. Smith's tone -dared- Maureen to retort, but the redhead stayed silent. 

Smith lowered her face to Maureen's slowly, stopping just short of making contact with the woman's lips. She paused and then breathed out the words, "Tell me if you want me to stop", before capturing the scientist in a scathing kiss. For a few long seconds, Maureen nearly responded, but then, "Stop."

And it stopped. Immediately. Smith pulled back, standing. "So you see, I keep my word." Maureen couldn't breathe, watching the other woman walk away. Smith stopped at the door before exiting, "We'll pick this up tomorrow. With interest." 

Maureen couldn't help feeling as if something was unfinished, despite feeling a vague sense of relief. At least she had been given some small hint that Smith was keeping in mind her intention to offer Maureen chances to refuse her? It was all very strange. Somehow, though nothing had happened, Maureen still felt as if she had lost.


	4. Day 11

Day 11

_"We'll pick this up tomorrow. With interest."_

All night words haunted Maureen, a promise. So, 'no' came with consequences. Really, she should have expected it, a little subconscious part of her did, and yet it had still taken her off guard. -With interest.- That seemed to promise more than some fumbling kisses (even if the kisses thus far had been less than fumbling), and Maureen wasn't sure how she would manage. Thus far, she'd struggled to follow Smith's first rule alone.

Waking early, as per usual, Maureen set about her work day with furvor to distract from the work she would be doing later. There was no doubt in her mind that it wasn't an empty threat, but there was still some hope that the woman would once again stop after a petty assault.

With added focus, due to the desire to forget absolutely anything and everything else but her proper work, Maureen accomplished a fair amount before lunch. Feeling proud and tired already, her mind was on something else entirely when she met Smith's gaze across the cafeteria. The other woman smiled at her as she bit into a nacho and Maureen's mental state tilted. 

From satisfaction to being little more than a knot in her gut the redhead tipped, thoughts torn violently back to the grander problem. For it was a grand problem. In some ways even grander than the Resolute floating impotently in space, unable to support those for whom it was built. What did it even matter if they made it to Alpha Centauri if there was no life waiting when they got there? Maureen wasn't stupid, she knew the society waiting on the new planet wasn't one that would forgive and forget. Especially not something like this.

Smith's lips ticked downwards as Maureen's features stayed blank. Not very nice, Maureen. The scientist could very nearly hear the woman's voice in her head. It prompted her to smile in return. Stiff and less than genuine, but a smile nonetheless. Pleased, Smith was smiling again, a new note of smugness clearly present in the expression. Better. Maureen took her leave of the cafeteria, appetite gone. 

The standard issue clothing wasn't as awful as all that, Smith acknowledged, though it was irritating to be so similar to everyone else. But, watching Maureen walk out, Smith couldn't complain about the design, it hugged the woman's curves quite wonderfully. 

Back in her own room, Maureen found her focus again, thankfully. Though this time she was fully aware of the doorway behind her, awaiting the return of her blackmailer. Unfortunately, this awareness did make it difficult to hold focus as the afternoon passed. 

The slide of the door opening was less startling this time, but the two who stepped in weren't. Smith was smiling brightly at Penny as they entered the room and Maureen felt hit by a truck. She couldn't find the words to ask just what the hell was happening, but noticed the trays both women were holding a half second later. 

"Hey, mom", Penny's smile was unsure but real as she held up the two trays in either hand. "Um, Dr. Smith thought it might be nice if we ate together." The knot in Maureen's stomach returned with a vengeance, "Oh yeah?" Smith nodded and answered, "Why not? A little girl time never hurt anyone, and it's so strange to be apart after all that closeness on the Jupiter, don't you think?" Penny was looking unsure and it made Maureen's gut-knot ache. 

"Sure, yeah. Come on in." Ignoring the fact that this would be the first time in a few weeks that she'd eaten dinner with her daughter rather than losing her to work or friends or homework, Maureen brought her desk chair over to the small table and other two chairs. Smith casually took the chair from Maureen's grip, seating herself in the more comfortable seat. Maureen said nothing, not meeting Penny's questioning gaze as she sat at one of the remaining plastic chairs and pulled one of the food trays in front of her. "Thanks."

"This is nice", said Smith with a happy sigh, peeling the food tray covering open. "So what did the two of you do today?" Maureen was silent, still feeling surreal. Was this really happening? "School was fine", Penny stepped up and answered, spooning at the stew on her tray. Maureen was thankful for the interruption of her thoughts. "We've been checking out the different plants from the planet down below. They're similar to ones in the deserts on Earth." Smith asked a question and Penny answered and Maureen tried hard to listen. But Penny wasn't stupid and she knew her mother. The silence was not usual.

"Mom?" Maureen heard the word, said in a tone that made it obvious it wasn't the first time Penny had tried to get her attention. The redhead put on a more attentive expression, drawing herself back to the world and her daughter. "Sorry", Maureen gave her daughter an apologetic smile. "What were you saying about school?" She could feel Smith's gaze on her, but didn't look. She hoped she wasn't breaking the first rule, as her daughter was speaking. It was a good excuse.

Maureen gave her best to the conversation and by the end, when the trays before the woman sat empty, she was feeling a little more relaxed. As relaxed as anyone can feel while being blackmailed. And with Penny right there… If she thought about it too hard, the tension started building up all over again. 

A minute later, Penny had to use the bathroom and then Maureen and Smith were alone. There was no excuse to avoid her eyes now, so Maureen chanced a look at the other woman's face. Her eyes were fixed on the redhead, satisfaction practically oozing from them. "We should do this more often, don't you think?" Maureen wasn't so sure.

"I'd rather you stay away from my daughter."

"Why? You didn't." Maureen's face was hot with shame and anger as she stood suddenly and hissed, "You stay -away- from my daughter." Smith's smile dropped, her hands folding in her lap, "We discussed this, Maureen. I'm going to do what I want." She paused, drinking in the sight of Maureen trying very hard not to hit her. "Lucky for you, I'm far more interested in what you have to offer." This calmed the scientist to the point where she no longer had to struggle to not hit Smith but her anger still simmered. Smith put an end to it with a short and cold, "Test me and you won't like what happens", followed by a pointed look at the bathroom door. 

Maureen deflated, dropping back into her chair as the door opened. 

When the conversation seemed to reach a natural end and the trays and Penny were both gone, Smith stayed behind in Maureen's quarters. Penny's curious expression had been sated by Smith explaining that she needed to speak with the scientist. 

The door was closed and locked after the teen, Maureen lingered by the desk after putting the chair back. Smith leaned on the door, watching the other woman's uncertainty for an enjoyable moment.

"Why did you do that?", Maureen finally asked, looking directly at Smith. "Bring Penny in here?" Smith put on a play at innocence, "Isn't that what families do? Eat dinner together? That's what I thought, anyway." Maureen held her tongue, Smith continued, "And, you know, with families that share the kind of secrets that -we- do, I would have thought that eating together was normal." She moved away from the door, approaching Maureen with slow steps. "In any case, this was also a nice sort of demonstration." Smith shrugged. "I can move either of you with a word or two", eyes grew sharp as they bored into Maureen's, "and you would do well not to forget that." Then she was Smith again, accompanied by nothing more than the general air of satisfied smugness. Maureen felt as if all the air had left her body but she didn't have to think for much longer as Smith drew within arm's reach.

"Now, we have unfinished business to attend to." The backs of her fingers traced Maureen's cheek. "Take off your jacket and go to the bed." Again, Smith did the same as she spoke. She followed Maureen to the bed, but didn't take her place on top. Instead, she moved to sit with her back at the wall and gestured to her lap. "Come here." Maureen paused, hesitated, Smith scowled and repeated herself. 

"Okay." Smith's scowl remained until Maureen remembered, "Yes, Dr. Smith." Her face turned pink as she said the words and moved to straddle the other woman. Smith's hands moved to Maureen's wrists, placing the scientist's hands on her shoulders. Maureen didn't move, uncertain what to do now that she was on top. One hand on Maureen's hip, Smith wrapped the other around the redhead's neck and pull her into a soft kiss. Slowly but surely, the other woman grew responsive and her body relaxed. 

Smith made a noise, a low moan into Maureen's mouth, and she felt the redhead shift. She might not like what Smith was doing to her but Maureen's body had to be responding. Her hands tightened on her blackmailer's shoulders and Smith delighted in it. Smith's mouth moved from Maureen's to her jawline, making quick work of traveling down to her collarbones and leaving more than one mark with teeth and suction. The act of marking the other woman sent pleasure straight to her core. Smith wondered if Maureen would feel the marks later, or merely see them. If she had her way, Smith would be sure the marks were associated forever with pleasure. And she -would- have her way. After all, she had promised. Smith kept her promises.

The hand not behind Maureen's neck slipped under the woman's top, rubbing her thumb over the soft skin underneath. Maureen was warm, hands still tight on Smith's shoulders. 

Maureen was trying very hard not to enjoy and also praying that she had the strength to keep from either slapping or grabbing the woman currently doing pleasantly unpleasant things to her body. The combination of warm mouth on her collar and the hand slipping under her shirt was distracting enough that she released a sound against her will, a soft whimper as Smith's teeth again made contact with her flesh. She could feel Smith's smile on her skin before the woman pulled back. 

"Take this off", Smith commanded as she tugged at the bottom of the tank top. She was proud of how steady she was able to hold her voice, despite the want raging through her veins. Pulling her hands back, they were replaced immediately after Maureen had shakily removed the top. Smith ran her fingers over Maureen's stomach then up over her still covered breasts. The sports-bra-like article of clothing couldn't hide the evidence that some part of Maureen was taking pleasure out of Smith's attentions, nor could the redhead hide the shudder as hands traveled over her stiffening nipples.

Breathing harder, Maureen had had her eyes fixed on a point on the wall, thankful that Smith was not insisting on eye contact while roving her flesh. But now it was her hands that were roving and she said in a warning tone, "Where are your eyes, Maureen?" Blue-green met brown with a snap, Maureen's eyes were full of a roiling hatred blended with shame. Smith smiled wide, lowering her head again to bite at Maureen's breasts with surprisingly gentle teeth. It was a weak point that the scientist had forgotten she had and if it continued for much longer, she might not be able to keep further noises on the inside where they belonged. 

In a moment of panic, Maureen's hands left Smith's shoulders and grasped the woman's face to pull her into a scathing kiss. Panic and shameful physical want combined to create a kiss the likes of which Smith had not yet felt from Maureen and it tugged another moan from deep inside of her. Her hands took place of her mouth however, fingers administering pleasure without pause and causing Maureen to respond with a noise of her own, a needy whine muffled against Smith's insistent mouth. 

Triumph and lust made a heady mix in Smith's stomach, hands seeking and finding the bottom edge of Maureen's bra and slipping beneath to go on with a more direct touch. Maureen was feeling hazy and high, as if she was floating above her body. It was so surreal, to be straddling, kissing, -moaning- in this place. Smith's fingers were talented and ever moving, creating sensations she hadn't felt in so very long. The morbidly funny thought occured that maybe she wouldn't have to pretend to surrender, that maybe this woman really would push to a point where she gave in. She was certainly on the edge now.

Smith's hands began to slow as she told herself that this was where it should end. She should leave Maureen on the edge tonight, allow her to lay in bed with an unfulfilled want thrumming in her veins. A horrible shameful want for the woman blackmailing her to come back and finish the job. Smith's own lust was screaming against this, begging her to make this woman come undone under her hands and mouth and on every surface. However, the better parts of her, her mind, reminded that this wasn't a quick lay. This was a process, and Smith enjoyed it. Had enjoyed it before. There was nothing quite so good as taking someone who hated you, and making them want you. Of course, in this case, there was the added benefit of gaining a new life in a new place with a family group to watch out for her, or at least to be tools should she so require. It was the added benefit that required finesse and patience even moreso than any time before. 

Maureen could feel Smith's mind working as her fingers slowed and she hated to admit that she was displeased that they had slowed. Not again. Though she did -not- want to sleep with this woman, not really, there were some parts of her that most definitely wanted her to finish what she had started. Smith's hands pulled away, her mouth calming the frantic kiss. And though her voice was only just barely husky when she pushed Maureen gently off of her and said, "I'll see you tomorrow, Maureen", the redhead saw the glint in her eye. She wasn't sure if the woman would leave her hanging again, but she doubted it.

Pausing at the door, Smith looked to the woman and drank in the sight of her disheveled hair and bared stomach before saying, with a smile bordering on cruel, "Go brush your teeth. Go right to sleep. Do nothing else." Maureen's jaw clenched as the door closed behind the woman, the order was clear. But as she moved to do as she was told, she watched herself in the mirror and highly doubted that she would be sleeping anytime soon. 


	5. Day 12

Day 12

As expected, Maureen hardly slept. She toyed with the idea of finishing what Smith had started but banished it fairly quickly. Smith would probably be able to tell anyway, and actually giving in to her body's urges would feel too much like losing. Maureen had felt enough of that as of late.

Smith had had no such shame to deal with or commands to follow, taking care of her own needs the moment she found herself alone in her room. While the walls of the rooms on the Resolute were not particularly thick, there were a fair few surrounding Smith's that currently lay empty. As it stood, she had no worries and no inclinations to keep her voice low as she finished herself to the thought of Maureen's expression, bereft and disbelieving while also hating that she didn't fully want her tormenter to leave. How Smith loved watching someone war with themselves.

-

Thinking to the problem of the thin walls that had not troubled her the night before, Smith nonetheless was looking for an answer. The Resolute wouldn't remain near empty forever and Smith did plan on continue the manipulation as long as possible, no matter the company. After some thinking, it occured to her that perhaps the medical examination centers were more secure. They couldn't have just anyone hearing what might be sensitive information being discussed within those walls, could they? How convenient it was then that Smith already had access to any room on the ship, including those particularly thick-walled ones, and plenty of empty ones standing available. It would be prudent to start testing a few out before the rest of the Resolute's current residents returned. It would be nice to have a working knowledge of just what surfaces were most useful in each room. And it would be fun to show Maureen once more that Smith could and would have what she wanted, whenever and wherever she wanted it. 

Patience had been the intially decided upon course of action, make Maureen wait for another full day. But Smith hadn't accounted for the boredom of having no real activity to occupy her time now that she'd made her plan. While she -could- be a quite patient person, she realized there might be wisdom (and considerably more interesting activity) in overthrowing that habit for today. She had no doubt that Maureen was counting on her to come in the evening once more. Perhaps it would be better to shake up those expectations.

Maureen recieved the message on her com, surprising her amidst a tired morning of meetings and code.

See me in my office after lunch. -Dr. Smith

An involuntary shudder traveled the length of her spine. This was earlier in the day than she had wanted to return to thoughts of the other woman. Now, her body already reacting to memories of the night before, the hour until lunchtime could not pass fast enough. She wasn't excited to see Smith, she told herself, merely eager to get this over with. 

Smith took her lunch in her office but made sure to take a peek into the cafeteria. She spotted Maureen sitting off to the side, spine stiff and expression unfocused. So she'd done as she was told. Excellent. After the way Smith had worked her up, Maureen had likely spent a terribly frustrating night tossing and turning until exhaustion took away her consciousness. The woman would be tired, frustrated and receptive. Just the way Smith liked her.

Lunchtime came and went and Smith was waiting at her desk when her office door slid open. Maureen didn't wait to be told before closing the door behind her and engaging the lock. Her eyes were full of fire as she took a seat on the other side of Smith's desk. 

"I'm here. Let's get this over with." Smith outright grinned at Maureen's rough tone, savouring her temper like a fine wine, "Why so tense, Maureen?" The redhead bristled, hands curling into fists, "I didn't sleep very well." Damn her. Why the hell did Smith have to take interest in her? Why? What had she done? Other than save her life. 

Smith leaned forward, elbows on her desk and chin in one hand. "I could prescribe you something for that, if you like." Maureen scoffed, "Take drugs from you? I'm good, thanks." Smith's grin turned wolfish, "That wasn't what I had in mind." Flushing, Maureen stood from the chair, "Just tell me what you want from me today so I can go."

With a shrug, Smith stood. If Maureen wanted to be testy, she would allow it. It wouldn't last anyway. She moved towards the door and enjoyed the redhead's surprise when she said, "We're not doing this here."

"Where are we going?" Smith ignored Maureen's question, gesturing to follow her out of the office and then locking the door behind the two of them. Maureen repeated herself as they walked down the hall, her question answered when they reached a familiar door. 

Smith scanned her card and the door slid open easily, showing one of many empty medical centers. Maureen had actually been in this one once for a check up when the main center was full. It was slightly smaller but fully equipped. The scientist followed when Smith entered. The room didn't feel as friendly as it had during her last visit. 

"Go ahead and take a seat on the bed", Smith ordered without a gesture, causing Maureen to look at the gynocological exam area with an anxious expression. The sight of the stirrups made her queasy. Rolling her eyes, Smith pointed to the friendlier looking exam table with no stirrups. "Over there, Maureen." Breathing out a sigh of relief, the redhead went to the table and perched herself on the edge.

"Why are we in here?" Maureen asked, nerves stretching her voice tight. A hand on either of her knees pushed them apart enough for Smith to take the space between them. With Maureen sitting on the table and Smith standing before her, the redhead was looking down at the other woman. Hands left Maureen's knees to slide up her thighs and she was hard pressed to keep looking at the other woman. Rule one. Her face was hot.

"Thicker walls. Should come in handy later", came the reply, accompanied by the press of one warm body to another. Smith would rather have any noises Maureen made all to herself, without any accidental eavesdroppers. Maureen's stomach dropped, understanding the implications immediately. Later. Strong fingers gave the redhead's thighs a squeeze before leaving their place and taking hold of either side of her face. Smith pulled her in close, her tongue tracing Maureen's bottom lip in a steady, slow swipe. The fire in her belly that Smith had not sated the day before came back to life with a vengeance. Maureen's hands clamped over the edge of the lightly padded table, keeping her grounded.

Reciprocation of the kiss was nearly instant, no matter how Maureen screamed in her head. Her lips and tongue melded perfectly with Smith's this time, almost mirroring the woman's intensity as it slowly gained traction. An unspoken need bloomed, unspoken for a number of reasons. Smith broke free from the kiss and scraped down Maureen's neck with her teeth. The scientist felt high but her clenched jaw prevented the expected moan from escaping. Smith bit down over several of the marks she had left the day before, testing the waters of Maureen's willpower. 

Deft fingers played at Maureen's waistband then gave the bottom of her tank top a tug. Smith pulled back, steadying her gaze at the redhead, "Take this off, Maureen." The woman swallowed thickly as she removed the top, the chill of the medical center raising goosebumps on her freshly exposed flesh. Smith's eyes were hungry, even if the rest of her expression was even. Shuddering from the sensation of being prey, Maureen crossed her arms over her front in a weak attempt at defense. 

Smith grasped both of her wrists and put them on either side of the woman with little effort. Maureen wasn't really trying to fight. The energy she might have had to fight externally was all going to that part of her brain reminding her that this woman was a devious bitch and a terrible person and that she had to resist being truly taken in by her. But how? Maureen's body burned, even moreso under Smith's watchful eye. "No no, don't you hide from me", Smith admonished, still holding the other woman's wrists in both hands. "That's rule number three, Maureen. I get to look at you whenever I like." The statement was emphasized as Smith dragged her eyes down the entirety of the scientist's form.

The blush in Maureen's face spread beautifully down her neck and faded into the pale skin above her breasts. It was quite becoming, as far as Smith was concerned, and she couldn't resist planting a kiss on one of the collarbone marks she'd left the day before. 

Smith brushed her fingers up over still clothed breasts, tracing over the bottom of her sports bra and down again to rest on the curve of Maureen's hips, "Take that off too." She shifted slightly backwards as the redhead removed the bra with shaking hands, a salacious smile overtaking her as new flesh was exposed. "Yes, very nice." Maureen was captured in another searing kiss as clever hands worked over her breasts, bringing her closer to crumbling with every passing second. 

A strangled moan was torn from Maureen's chest, half sounding like a sob. "Please don't..", Maureen managed to whisper against the other woman's smiling mouth, the sentence left hanging. Smith's lips stilled, though her hands did not, "Don't….what? You've really got to finish your sentences, Maureen." Another moan, pleasure and shame, dripped from the redhead in that moment and it made Smith feel positively victorious. "If you don't ask for what you want properly, how can I possibly know?" She punctuated several words with small pinches to what she knew were sensitive nipples.

Maureen couldn't be sure what she wanted. She was more aroused by this woman, this demon she couldn't stand, than she had been in quite a long time. As much as she wanted to deny this monster anything, to pretend this wasn't enjoyable in the slightest and get away and move on, there was an almost equally large part of her that desperately wanted Smith to just finish what she started, plans of false surrender be damned. Maureen had sorely underestimated what Smith was capable of, and it was coming back to bite her in a surprisingly literal sense.

Another pinch to her nipple brought her mind to focus, eyes closing as a warm mouth took place of hands. Smith was circling the sensitive area with a hot tongue, one arm wrapped around Maureen's waist. Maureen was suffering. Undeniably. Exquisitely. On fire under the sensual touch of a woman she could not stand, close to tears. She wished that Smith would stop. Or at least stop being gentle. Somehow it made it all the worse. If the other woman would simply enact violence, throw her around, take what she wanted without the mercilessly soft touches, the redhead might be able to console herself with knowledge that she did not want any part of this.

But no, Smith was far more cruel. She filled Maureen with far more than hatred. She could not deny the lust that begged her to surrender. Could not keep her body from responding entirely against her will and robbing her of sense. Lulling Smith into a false sense of security, pretending to give in. That was the plan that still tugged at the edges of her consciousness, but it was no longer center stage. Now it was the fire in her belly, the fire that spread through her limbs and weakened her more effectively than any violence or sedative ever could. 

"Tell me the truth, Maureen", Smith hummed against her chest, "what do you want right now?" Maureen choked on a sob, she couldn't make the words. Did she really want her to stop? Was that the truth in this moment? Eyes closing, face tilting to the ceiling, Maureen didn't answer, fighting her tears. Smith pulled away, "Answer me." Maureen couldn't breathe. If she said to stop, everything about her body language would highlight the lie. If she said to continue, to finish, it was a real surrender and she couldn't possibly deny it later. She came to a decision. Something she would still likely regret later, but hopefully not as much. 

"Stop being gentle", came the answer, low but audible. Maureen's voice was husky with need and Smith felt her heart beat harder at the words. Was that how the woman liked it? A little rough? Maybe. Or maybe she wanted to pretend she couldn't fight it? Smith rolled her options around for a few seconds, watching the other woman's ragged breathing. Time to take a chance. Either way, in the end, Smith would be the winner.

"Okay", Smith agreed, twisting her fingers into Maureen's hair and pulling her into a rough kiss. She took the other woman's mouth as if she were lost in a desert and the redhead was the very last oasis. But then she paused, scraping her teeth up the attractive jaw and stopping at her ear, "Tell me if you want me to stop." Maureen almost sobbed again. Smith was too clever, too prepared. Now, no matter how Smith might treat her, what she might do, not stopping her was the same as wanting her to continue. Maureen had lost. And then she was lost for words as Smith continued to move down, lips reaching her chest once more. 

Maureen's own traitorous body had her gripping at Smith's hair with both hands, head tilting downwards. Shame and lust curdled in her belly and made her squirm where she sat. Smith was stronger than she looked, picking Maureen up from the table and carrying her across the room to a lounging couch of the sort that might be used for psychiatric patients. Not an inch of space found its way between them as Smith lowered Maureen onto her back onto the comparatively softer surface.

Rough hands tugged at Maureen's pants, the scientist wasn't fighting anymore. She kicked her own shoes off as well as she could with Smith on top of her. Her pants followed, Smith pulling back enough to rid the redhead of the garment. She stopped then, taking hold of Maureen's wrists hard and staring her in the eye, as if waiting for something. The woman swallowed under the stare, not daring to look away. Smith was consumed by hunger and her eyes spoke of possession, but she had no doubt that the woman was in control of herself. Something about that made Maureen's pulse race twice as fast and Smith's grin was that of a conqueror. Maureen's eyes flashed in a moment of defiance as Smith forced her hands up and pressed the redhead's palms flat against the armrest above her head. 

"Keep those there or I stop." Maureen's breathing quickened at the idea of the self-imposed bondage, the reality of it keeping her still. She didn't have to decide, she just needed to not move. Smith was going to do what she wanted anyway, Maureen might as well give in and take what pleasure she could. That's what she told herself, at least.

Smith took in the sight of the nude woman beneath her, taking Maureen's breasts in both hands and giving them a squeeze and well placed pinch just a little bit harder than she thought Maureen might like. The redhead flinched but didn't move and didn't make a sound. A harder pinch drew a yelp, the pleasure of having caused the sound driving into Smith's core. 

Dragging her hands lower, Smith slapped the inside of one thigh, drawing another yelp but no real fight. Maureen was breathing heavily, staring at Smith as if she wanted to strangle her right there. She had turned off her brain for the moment, ignoring the logic and common sense that were begging her to simply run. Without the signal to stop, Smith was taking what she pleased, and enjoying the new less-than-tender way in which she was going about it. 

One hand drifted over Maureen's center, the heat was obvious. As was the moisture. The redhead glistened with desire and sweat, Smith didn't care to wait any longer. Two fingers were pressed unceremoniously into the scientist, eye contact never breaking. Maureen's face twisted in agony and pleasure, a heady mix that stole the breath from her lungs as Smith curled her fingertips upwards. Right there. That's what she needed. Smith began to thrust without prompting, reading every desire on Maureen's face. Maureen struggled to keep her hands up on the armrest, fingernails scraping at the fabric.

"Fuck!" Maureen cursed aloud as the familiar building sensation curled through her limbs. Smith's eyes were wild as she watched the woman struggle with herself. With every thrust she curled her fingers up and it was having so much more than the desired effect. And yet, after one particularly good thrust, Maureen's hands suddenly flew up from the armrest for a second before she slammed them back down with another curse. But it was too late. Smith had come to an immediate stop, though her momentarily stormy expression made it clear she didn't want to. 

The two woman stared at each other for what felt like an eternity to Maureen, need and dissatisfaction thrumming through her veins. Maureen was panting, her hands clinging to the armrest as Smith slowly stood and drew her wet fingers into her mouth, cleaning them of the redhead. The sight was incredibly erotic and Maureen was frozen, waiting.

"Go back to work, Maureen." Rage pushed Maureen to her feet, uncaring that she was entirely nude, but Smith was calm. Fists clenched tight, Maureen wanted to slap the even expression right off of Smith's face. But she didn't. Smith remained where she stood as Maureen dressed herself more quickly than she ever had and stomped towards the door. As she passed Smith though, the woman snagged her upper arm, prompting Maureen to make eye contact. "Come back tomorrow, if you want." Maureen wanted to scream, but she didn't give Smith the satisfaction. 

Smith watched a red-faced Maureen storm out with a knowing smirk. The redhead made it to her quarters without running into anyone, a good thing considering the mood she was in. She had lost in more ways than one, and now Smith was thinking she was hooked. She might be right. She'd been caught up and naked and panting under the demonic woman and -angry- when she'd not reached her….goal. It seemed like she'd lost. She felt as if she'd lost. 

Most especially as she laid in her own bed, meeting her own burning need and yet feeling wholly unsatisfied. 


	6. Day 15

Day 15

"Come back tomorrow, if you want."

For the last few days, those words haunted Maureen in her waking moments as in her dreams, as if Smith was whispering them directly into her ear on a loop. A fire that had been kindled into life over the last few interactions with the woman had not ceased, but rather intensified. And no matter how Maureen drove herself up to and over the edge in every quiet, workless, moment she was afforded, even when she did secretly surrender in her lonesome state just once and murmured Smith's name as she fell over that painfully delicious precipice, that singular blaze would not be smothered out of existence by her hands alone.

The Resolute was very close to being once again fully functional. Its temporary residents would start returning to the ship soon, they'd already begun the process of packing up base camp on the planet surface so far below. The idea of no longer having that same quiet that had haunted the last few weeks was a welcome one. Bustling people, coworkers and friends. It would be a beautiful distraction. One she sorely needed.

Perhaps with more people around, Maureen would be able to crowd her mind with thoughts that were not the notorious Dr. Smith. Just maybe she might find relief that didn't mean willingly surrendering herself to a demon formed in flesh. 

Come back tomorrow. If she wanted. 

That tomorrow had come and gone, and Maureen had been holed up in her room as much as possible. She didn't want to be seen, didn't want to force herself to make eye contact and tell the truth. Were Smith to corner her, to demand she speak, Maureen didn't trust herself to say anything that wasn't supplication to the woman who held all the power. 

In some tiny, dark space in her mind, darker even than the vast expanse just outside of the porthole window, she found a twisted form of desire. It was there and undeniably so. Though Smith had stripped her of her choice at the beginning, there was a part of Maureen that had enjoyed it. 

Not any part she would allow into the light, of course. But one can hide from ones' own self only for so long. Maureen had always been bad at Hide and Seek. 

Nothing had changed. 

Smith had truly expected Maureen to return sooner, and she wasn't sure if she was disappointed or intrigued by the redhead's ability to resist what she -knew- she wanted. What they both knew she wanted. 

The good doctor had heard it straight from Penny, after all. That even then, even when Maureen had the control, there was something in her that tried to give it over. But the teenager hadn't really been in any place to know what was being offered. And of course, there was the whole guilt thing the scientist was dealing with. It clouded her vision and made it difficult to see what truths about herself had been brought to light during that handful of Regretable Events. 

But Dr. Smith was no fool, and she was far from naive. She had the sort of experience that let her see the cracks in Maureen's facade of control, the parts of her that were crumbling under the pressure of holding everyone up, when some deep and unacknowledged part of her very soul wanted to be taken in hand and shown and told and moved to do exactly as demanded of her.

Lucky for you, Maureen, thought Smith to herself, that I am actually quite the expert in such affairs. A chuckle at her own internal joke came out, but there was no one in her office to hear. 

Affairs. She supposed that was an easy word for what she was doing with Maureen. The redhead might have some different choice words to apply to the situation, but it was only a matter of time before she came around to Smith's way of thinking. After all, who else could really know what she needed but the woman who knew everything about the one particular darkness she wished to hide above all others?

Sighing to herself, Smith twirled a pen between her fingers. The boredom, she hadn't anticipated. With the ship so empty, there was little to amuse herself with outside of Maureen, but this stage in the game required her to wait. For things to progress as she wanted, as she planned, it was necessary that the scientist make the next step. Smith was fairly sure she would, Maureen didn't seem the type to back down from a challenge. And surely she would see Smith as a challenge.

Or perhaps a game. Smith was amused momentarily by the thought of Maureen imagining this a game she could win. How could she, when Smith held all the pieces? It was as if Smith had set up a chess board, and Maureen had shown up with checkers pieces. Yes, she liked that analogy. 

A little chirp from the lockpad beside her closed door drew Smith back to the outside world, alert now that someone had requested permission to enter her domain. She expected Maureen as she moved from desk to door in a few quick strides. But she was met instead with another familiar face.

"Penny?" Smith's surprise lasted barely three seconds before she wiped it clean off her face and pulled on a friendly smile instead. "What are you doing here?" The teenager shifted from one foot to the other, her eyes darting down the hall before she actually pushed past Smith and into the office. A complete surprise to be sure, but Smith always did have a remarkable aptitude for rolling with the punches. Closing and locking the door again, when she turned around she found Penny already sitting down at one of the chairs in front of the desk. 

With steps deliberately slow and steady, Smith kept her focus on the obviously distressed girl. When she sunk into her own chair, Smith noticed that Penny still hadn't looked up once from the hands folded tightly in her lap, knuckles white as she clenched them together. Supressing something maybe? Fear? Anxiety? Anger? A vague trickle of cold concern found its way down Smith's spine, had Penny figured something out? Something that should stay between Smith and Maureen perhaps? She was a smart girl, after all. 

"Penny? Are you okay?" Smith finally asked, breaking the silence. The teenager didn't budge, though her eyes darted for the barest second up to Smith's before dropping to her hands again. She was embarrassed, that much was evident in the lack of proper eye contact. Smith briefly entertained the thought of setting similar rules for Penny as she had for Maureen, but banished it. Penny was a teenager, surrender came far more easily under the right set of hands. It was the challenge that Maureen presented that roused Smith more than any other. 

Smith was about to repeat her question when Penny mumbled something almost too low to make out. A tilt of Smith's head was a signal to Penny to say it again, and louder please. 

"It's about my mom", Penny repeated, fingers twisting around each other in such a non-stop manner that a perpetual motion machine would be put to shame. Smith didn't say anything in return, waiting with bated breath, delighting in the fact that Penny did indeed come to her the next time she needed to talk. It seemed that merely being a knowing ear went a long way to gaining the girl's confidence. Teenagers were so easy. "I heard her-…" Penny mumbled the rest, Smith's brows furrowed. 

"You heard her…?" Smith echoed the words back at her, trailing off as indication to finish the sentence properly. Penny's face blazed red as her mother's, and it was nearly as cute on her as on Maureen. 

"She said your name and-.." Smith was getting tired of Penny's halting way of speaking. This was surely information she could use, and she would prefer to have all of it immediately. She didn't say anything, but raised her brows expectantly. Penny said the rest in a rush, but Smith caught every word, "I was going to bring her dinner because I haven't seen her at meals recently and wanted to make sure she ate but then when I was outside her room I heard her moan and then I heard your name and I didn't know what to do or who to tell and so I just-" 

Penny looked up again briefly and it was all Smith could do just to keep the most satisfied grin she'd ever worn off of her face. She licked her lips slowly, took a breath, and folded her hands together as she propped her elbows on her desk. Uncertainty growing ever more in the silence, Smith savoured the few heartbeats of time in which she would swear she could hear the teenager's own heart pounding in her chest just a little too loudly.

Maureen. In her room. Alone. -Moaning-. Moaning at the thought of her. Of Smith. It was enough to make her want to throw patience to the wind and charge directly to the redhead's room and own her until she forgot what not being owned even felt like. 

It was just a good thing Penny was there, still watching her with a half formed grimace on her young face. She was waiting for a response, so Smith took another breath and answered in a surprisingly even voice, "And how did that make you feel?" 

Penny flushed, eyes dropping again, fixating on the desk in front of her. This was a little harder to guess for Smith, but she took a stab in the dark before letting Penny come up with something that would likely be a deflection. 

"Did it make you jealous?" Smith asked coolly, all inquiry and no accusation. The blush on Penny's face was now at least three shades darker than the older woman had seen so far on her mother. Interesting. "You know, it's okay if it did." Penny swallowed thickly, not answering. Not needing to. But she also wasn't denying or fleeing. Teenagers. They may be absolutely riddled with unearned arrogance at times, but it was so often balanced out by these moments in which they craved the approval from others that they simply were not capable of giving to themselves. That Penny might seek this from her had been some sort of passing fancy, a flighty idea that Smith never expected to truly take wing, but now it had manifested and she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity. 

"Penny?" Smith said, trying to summon the teenager's gaze upwards. When this didn't have the desired effect, she repeated the name more firmly, followed by the command, "Penny, look at me." It worked, Smith held the girl's eyes with the pure will dripping from her own. "I think we are both aware of your mother's..proclivities. Ones that she may not be able to share with just anyone." 

Oh yes, those delicious proclivites. The desire to surrender. And not just that, but to be made to. Smith had been far more than pleasantly surprised by Penny's recollections, her tipsy mother laughing and wrestling with her on a living room floor, eyes lighting up as she was pinned underneath the teenage daughter who had definitely gained some strength and who delighted in winning as much as her mother did in losing. Smith had truly expected something perhaps a bit darker. Not to say that it wasn't wrong, that it wasn't unacceptable. Penny had been ashamed just repeating the events, that one and others, but Smith had seen the potential. The opportunity awaiting for one able to read between the lines. "I am…helping her to work through some of this. In a healthy way." A half-truth was always more believable than an outright lie.

Penny's face was red and full of skepticism, but it was hard to deny what she'd heard just beyond her mother's locked door. It was even harder to deny that Maureen definitely hadn't sounded like she was suffering. 

Smith couldn't have planned it better if she tried, it was far too perfect. The idea of Maureen trying to stifle cries, alone in her quarters, trying to reach that height that Smith had nearly pushed her from all on her own, trying so hard not to need the other woman. And then for -Penny- to come across her in such a compromising position, whether she literally saw it or not. No, this sort of perfection only happened in storybooks. Smith mused for a short few seconds over just what sort of storybook might contain such a tale. 

"I don't know how I feel about this", Penny said in a small voice, looking torn between misery and resignment. "I know it wasn't okay, what happened before but-…" She didn't continue, abruptly standing and turning towards the door. "Nevermind. This was stupid. Sorry. I have to go." Penny was out of the door before Smith could say anything more to protest her leaving. 

Stepping into her open doorway, Smith looked in one direction down the hall, watching Penny's retreating form until she disappeared around a curve, then turned to peer in the other direction. She met Maureen's stricken gaze not 20 steps away; a smile curved the corners of her mouth at the sight. So Maureen had come to surrender. Finally. And with impeccable timing. 

Smith backed into her office smoothly, not bothering to close the door. Maureen followed not five seconds later as Smith had known she would as soon as their eyes had met. 

The door's locking mechanism had barely shifted into place under Maureen's swift touch on the control pad before she whirled on Smith with a hissed, "I told you to -stay away- from my daughter!" Smith was unfazed, sitting at her desk as if she really were just what she claimed to be. A slim hand gestured to the chair Penny had just vacated a scant minute earlier. Smith preened over the way Maureen instantly followed the silent command, though she was still seething. 

"We've discussed this already, Maureen. I'm going to do what I want", Smith responded calmly, Maureen's hands fisted around the arms of the chair she seemed ready to leap from. "But, if you'll recall", she added, "I also said that -you- are the one who has captured my interest." Smith stood, leaning forwards over the desk with her palms pressed down onto it. "And it seems I've captured yours. More than you're willing to admit, I'm betting."

Smith held up a hand as Maureen's mouth opened to form protests. "Don't bother denying it", she said, a gleeful shine in her eyes as she drank in Maureen's outrage. "Penny heard you. She -heard- what you've been doing alone. And what's more", Smith's eyes shone with sadistic glee as she continued on with,"she heard my name coming out of -your- mouth in a decidedly less than unpleasant tone." 

Yet another Robinson woman turned a lovely shade of pink under Smith's steady, predatory gaze. Maureen crumpled, caught and unable to lie or deny. Smith circled her desk, coming around to lean back against it as she looked down to Maureen with victory written all over her face. "I did say you could come to me, didn't I?" Smith breathed in the sight of a woman defeated like the finest drug that ever existed. 

"Please, just leave Penny out of this. Please", Maureen came closer to begging than she had at any other point in the last two weeks. Smith savoured the taste of the redhead's desperation on her tongue. Heady and light, Smith never wanted to taste anything else ever again. 

"I'm going to give you a choice, Maureen. Be sure you think it through very carefully." Smith measured her words like a dancer measures their steps, Maureen was hanging on each one and the standing woman drank in the attention of what was essentially a captive audience. "I will let you off the hook, right here, right now, and I will never mention what has happened here, nor what happened on Earth to anyone. Ever. But-", she emphasized the 'but', returning a layer of caution and suspicion to the hope that had been blooming in Maureen's eyes, "the moment Penny turns 18, she's mine. I -will- have her. I will make her mine so thoroughly that she forgets she was ever yours. And you won't try to stop me." The caution and suspicion boiled into fresh outrage, but Maureen didn't move, only spitting out a hate-filled, "-Never-."

"Mm", Smith nodded knowingly, "I figured you'd feel that way." Bending at the waist, she leaned in close, her face inches from the redhead's. "Then here is your other option, for the time being: I know that the Resolute will be populated again very soon. We won't always have so much time or space all to ourselves as we have been able to enjoy thus far." Maureen snorted at 'enjoy', but she remained still and alert. "You will be sure that I'm safe, and make sure that everything goes right for me." Idle fingers lifted to brush Maureen's cheek and tuck some hair behind her ear in a move almost too gentle. "-You- will be mine." The redhead's nostrils flared with barely restrained fury and no small amount of humiliation and shame. "I will stay away from Penny, you have my word. I do tend to keep my promises. As long as you remain mine and prove so when I require it, Penny stays safe. But", her eyes darkened, "defy me from this point forward, try to tell someone --anyone-- about this, and I will be forced to punish the both of you. And I -promise- this too, it will not be pleasant."

The threat was delivered so coldly, so seriously, so very confidently, that it sent horrible chills down the entire length of Maureen's body. Smith did notice the shudder, but she waited for Maureen's answer above all else, standing tall and high above the sitting woman. 

The silence went on so long that Smith nearly moved to check that Maureen had not suffered some sort of sudden heart attack or other. But she held her ground, and it paid off when the redhead gave a whispered, "Okay." 

"Okay? Okay, what?" Smith wasn't going to let her off the hook so easily. "I told you before, Maureen, you need to be specific or else I can't hope to know what is happening in the pretty little head of yours."

Maureen, like she had mere weeks earlier, found a spot just below Smith's left eye to focus on as she nodded and said just loud enough to hear, "I'll be yours."

It felt like nothing else, this sort of victory. Taking what no one else could, taking Maureen's will from her so completely. Smith's hand traveled from cheek to hairline, fingers pushing into thick ginger locks and twisting a handful of it to force Maureen's head up in a position almost painful. But the redhead either didn't really feel it, or didn't really care. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. 

"That is just so good to hear." Smith breathed out against Maureen's lips, planting a gentle kiss at the corner of her mouth before pulling away. "Now", she released her grip and stepped away fully, reseating herself at her desk with an undisguisably smug grin, "go eat dinner with your daughter. You're going to need your energy later." 

In a daze, Maureen stood and left the room on autopilot, trying not to think too hard. Trying not to move too quickly. She realized only now, far too late, that all the times she had been doing her best to avoid the one misstep that might send she and her family straight to hell, she'd been walking ever closer to the devil herself.

Food, she thought. Penny and food. She would need energy later.


End file.
